Senate viewpoints

Cowan, Kirk offer different perspectives on Congress

They both served as unelected U.S. senators from Massachusetts for less than six months: Paul Kirk to fill the seat held by Ted Kennedy; William "Mo" Cowan to serve after John Kerry became secretary of state.

capecodtimes.com

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Posted Jul. 2, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jul 3, 2013 at 12:15 AM

Posted Jul. 2, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jul 3, 2013 at 12:15 AM

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They both served as unelected U.S. senators from Massachusetts for less than six months: Paul Kirk to fill the seat held by Ted Kennedy; William "Mo" Cowan to serve after John Kerry became secretary of state.

But when they both left the chamber, they expressed different opinions about Congress and its ability to work together for the common good.

When Kirk left the Senate in January 2010, following the election of Sen. Scott Brown, he said both halls of Congress, and the debates they held, were more hollow than when he served as an aide to Kennedy in the 1970s.

Upon his return in September 2009, Kirk said he found a political landscape marked more by divisive rhetoric and compromised truths than by honest discussion and debate.

"There's a real political factor that's going on now that wasn't apparent when I was on staff," Kirk said in a meeting with the Cape Cod Times editorial board in January 2010. "There was more of a foundation (then) to have a reasoned exchange."

He cited examples of argument and rhetoric in the Senate "where some of the things that the member may be saying is simply wrong as a matter of fact, but ... it may help him in a particular situation. The Senate is a different place than that, or it should be."

That was more than three years ago, and Cowan believes things have changed.

"People across the nation and political pundits across the airwaves believe that partisanship is a divide too wide to bridge, a wall too high to overcome... ." Cowan said in his farewell speech last week.

"But what I have encountered in the Senate is not a body defined by vitriol but one more defined by congeniality and common respect... . While we may not agree on every policy, every line item ... , we have each embraced the role of public servant, committed to improving the country we have pledged to support and defend.

"And as I have discovered in my time here, there is more opportunity for cooperation than the American public might believe."

He cited the bipartisan work in the Agriculture Committee on the farm bill, the so-called "Gang of 8" on immigration reform, and much compromise on the budget passed by the Senate.

To be fair to Kirk, in his final speech on the Senate floor, he urged his Senate colleagues to work together for the good of all. Bipartisan comity and collaboration must replace the polarization that threatens to poison the atmosphere and impede the work of the Senate, he said.

Kirk said his closing remarks may be dismissed by some as idealistic, unrealistic or partisan. "To them, I respectfully suggest that they listen to the words of the last Republican senator to be elected from Massachusetts" — Sen. Edward Brooke.

In 2009, Brooke said Republicans and Democrats can accomplish anything when they work together. "You have the responsibility, you have the authority, you are the people on Earth that are going to save this country and save the world. Think about that. We've got to get together. We have no alternative. There's nothing left. It's time for politics to be put aside... ."

Senator Brooke is correct. "The United States Senate is at its best ... when it reflects a spirit of teamwork and collaboration that brings results for the people it is meant to serve," Kirk said. "We have seen it throughout history. We have seen it in statesmen like Ted Kennedy and Ed Brooke... . I know that there are senators of good will of both parties who long for that spirit today."

Kirk said he could not leave the Senate with a clear conscience without urging his colleagues "to seize this opportunity and this mutual obligation, to take the long view ... to come together in good faith and good will to better serve this institution we revere, the people we represent, and the nation we love."